


CATLA: Unleashing the Beast

by SlytherclawHomunculus



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang forgets that he's supposed to be a pacifist oops, Aangst, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Cats, Avatar Beast Mode, Avatar but Cats, Gen, Katara takes the lightning for Aang, Koizilla but with the Avatar Spirit(s), Poor Azula, Raava and Vaatu are both the Avatar Spirit, The Avatar gets Aangry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:21:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22868554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherclawHomunculus/pseuds/SlytherclawHomunculus
Summary: Dark and light, yin and yang. These are the balancing forces of the Avatar Spirit. Raava's serenity keeps Vaatu from raging out of control, and Vaatu's aggression keeps Raava from becoming complacent. But what happens when both Raava and Vaatu loose their temper?When connecting to the cosmos and preforming their ascension, the Avatar is at their most vulnerable. Even more vulnerable than they  are in the avatar state. When Azula shoots her lightning at Aang, the wound he receives is not the physical kind...
Relationships: Aang & Katara (Avatar)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	CATLA: Unleashing the Beast

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to experiment with a few ideas in this. First being obvious- Katara takes the lightning bolt for Aang, and next the idea of the Avatar loosing the ability to distinguish between present and past, and finally, I kinda wanted to mess around with the idea of both Raava and Vaatu being the Avatar Spirit. Like, not in a dark and light Avatar sort of way, but more of a two components that balance out the single avatar sort of way.
> 
> Either way, I kinda have to admit that was kinda fun to write. lol
> 
> Based on my CATLA AU- https://carnistcervine.tumblr.com/post/189801304751/catla-au

Katara watched with a soft smile as Aang rose into the air, a pillar of light around him. Her smile fell and her eyes widened as she heard the quiet crackle of electricity. She turned her head, time slowing to a _crawl_ as she saw Azula charging up a shot.

_She was going to kill Aang._

Without thinking, she launched herself into the air with her waterbending. The lightning charged towards Aang, time was moving _so painfully slow_. A scream tore itself from her throat as the lightning _burned_ through her body. Aang's ear twitched and he suddenly turned his head. Glowing white eyes wide with shock he reached a paw out, but Katara couldn't bring herself to reach back. She fell downward, sound fading out, time slowed further and further, and the world became darker and _darker_.

There was a thud.

And suddenly, there wasn't anything anymore.

X~X

The Avatar reached out into the cosmos, reconnecting with the world and uniting themself once again. Like they had done for so many lifetimes before. However, before they could ascend fully, they were pulled from their meditation by a bloodcurdling scream. Aang turned his head to see Katara, eyes wide and body convulsing as lightning surged through her flesh. Absently, he reached out, but she was already falling away from him. She hit the ground with a sickening _thud_. And for the _briefest_ of seconds he saw someone else lay battered and broken on the ground.

He dropped to his paws and padded up to Katara slowly. He put a gentle paw on her face. His vision blurred, warm wetness dripping down his cheeks and maw.

_She gazed down at him with the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen. Like the ocean itself, gentle but powerful, righteous and nurturing. A spirit unbreakable in it's conviction._

His paws trembled.

_"Me and Sokka, we're your family now!"_

He pressed his forehead to her chin.

_”Avatar or not, you're my friend. And friend’s don’t abandon friends!”_

He kneaded her chest with his paws.

_Her head rested against his chest, and he never felt so at peace before..._

His breathing stuttered.

_"Aang? Why are you crying?"_

He stilled. His heart twisted and throbbed in agony. Katara would never open her beautiful eyes ever again. Her brilliant spirit had been stolen from this earth by a flash of electric cruelty. He looked up, the Dragon of The West-Iroh had his head down in shame and regret. Sozin-Zuko was just staring, like he didn't know what to do. The Dai Li were hidden, their chi unreadable. The Enemy-Azula was smirking. He looked down, the distance between his thoughts and his paws growing exponentially.

_Wan lie battered and broken on the ground. His eyes dull, blood pooling around him. She had been too late, she couldn't save him this time. Never again would she hear his infectious laugh, never again would she feel the warmth of his soul. An inescapable grief filled Raava's being. She looked up._

_The Enemy was smirking at him. They tilted their head. A challenging grin as chi gathered around their paws. They had the audacity to hurt and challenge him like this. Vaatu's rage boiled over._

Wan-Katara was dead and gone. His-Her killer smirking so arrogantly. Challenging and unafraid. Now all Raava-Vaatu-Wan-Aang could see was _red_.

X~X

Iroh looked up from his crystalline prison as the air in the cavern suddenly became very, very heavy. He let out a hard breath. This was bad. This was _very bad._ A dark aura began to surround the Avatar, his white eyes turning a brilliant red, and his pink, furless pelt becoming a pale, sickly blue.

And was it just Iroh, or did his teeth look bigger and _sharper_ than normal?

Of course, Azula was luring him into a trap, throwing a direct shot of lighting as soon as he lunged.

Unfortunately for Azula, she had a tendency to _underestimate_ her opponents.

The lightning _did_ hit it's mark, but all that resulted was an explosion of darkness and now, a much larger, and even _more_ pissed off black spirit was looming over them. It was surprisingly nimble for a creature that looked _emaciated and corpse-y_. It looked like a skeleton wrapped in a blanket of darkness that it called skin. An ominous red pattern glowing through it's chest and belly. Large fangs protruded from it's mouth, it's deeply sunken eyes were milky and gray with a third, bright orange one sitting in the middle of it's forehead. It's long tail and feelers twisted and curled almost _elegantly_ as they _lashed_ against Azula who nimbly dodged the attacks.

But the girl relied way to much on _luck_.

She was hit by a feeler and hit the ground _hard_. She struggled to her paws. Zuko ran in front of her, ready to defend, but the beast easily _swatted_ him to the side. He hit a crystal with a sickening _crunch_ and fell bonelessly to the ground. Iroh _winced_. The spirit wrapped it's feelers around Azula, squeezing hard. She struggled but, Iroh could hear her breaths getting shorter and more strained.

He, he couldn't. Not again. He looked away. He'd failed his _brother_ , he'd failed his _own son_ , he couldn't even _reach_ his _niece_ , he'd failed _Zuko_.

And worst of all, he found himself simply _looking away once again_.

He-he couldn't.

Not this time.

He _refused_ to simply give up this time.

"Spirit! _Please_ , don't hurt her!" He called out. It turned towards him, it dropped Azula and bounded over to Iroh. The beast loomed over him, feelers primed to strike. Iroh's ears drooped. "Please, it's _my_ fault. I should have been a better uncle to them." His head fell. "I've _failed_ my family, this is _my_ fault. If you must take your anger out on _anyone_ , unleash it on _me_." Iroh closed his eyes and waited for the pain of the strike.

Much to his surprise, he felt something feather soft lift his chin. He opened his eyes. The beast's orange eye was now a deep blue, the black of it's body fading to a white.

Perhaps, the spirit had been calmed?

Suddenly it roared in pain, black returning. It turned to face it's opponent, tail slamming into Iroh's crystalline prison. The crystal was shattered and Iroh felt himself tossed violently to the ground. He groaned and could only watch as the battle raged on. Azula was back on her paws, _rage_ filling her eyes, smoke curling around her paws. The beast lunged at her, she sent lighting directly into it's eye. It recoiled, roaring in agony. Azula smirked as the stench of burning corpse filled the air. However her victory was cut short as the spirit beast's eye was now glowing a bright violet along with it's pattern. It fired a powerful beam of energy at her. The explosion threw her back into one of the cavern walls with a _sickening crunch_.

Iroh didn't have the strength to call out as the beast _casually_ snapped up both Zuko and Azula's unconscious bodies like an _afternoon snack._ It blasted a whole through the ceiling and took off into the black sky.

The Dai Li slowly approached Iroh as the world faded out.

**Author's Note:**

> RIP Katara. RIP Azula. RIP Zuko. RIP Iroh. RIP Aang's sanity. RIP all around.
> 
> Though, only Katara is actually dead though. Azula and Zuko are alive, if in the belly of an enraged spirit who's carrying them off to an unknown fate. :^)
> 
> Also, Iroh, sorry mah man. But, *hisses through teeth* things ain't lookin' good fo you.
> 
> I have a tumblr where I post things. Feel free to send me asks about my AUs and such~ https://carnistcervine.tumblr.com/


End file.
